With more and more people joining the ranks of the filthy rich in China, it must be getting harder and harder to find new ways to flaunt your wealth.

It must be especially troublesome when choosing what car to buy in order to stand out from the crowd. But this person, from the city of Xianyang in Shaanxi province, has chosen a very interesting alternative form of luxury transportation.

Instead of sitting comfortably at the back of a Mercedes or BMW, he rides his horse daily to and from work. Accompanying him is his trusty secretary. Together, they ride regardless of weather.

“It normally takes a little more than 20 minutes to get to work” says He Yanqing an owner of a private company, “and I enjoy the looks from passers-by”.

Some of the reasons Mr. He gives in support of horseback riding include it being more environmentally friendly and able to avoid traffic jams.

According to Mr. He, riding a horse is also a lot more economical compared to cars. A good horse can be bought for 20,000 RMB (~3,000 USD) and the yearly maintenance is low – around 4,000 RMB (~600 USD).

As for whether this is actually road legal, it seems that according to the “PRC Road Traffic Safety Law” there are no restrictions against riding animals on roads. So it seems that there is nothing stopping Mr. He for now.

At first looks, it may seem that Mr. He is very noble in his actions and a good example for his fellow rich comrades to follow. However, I have doubts about how much this was really done in concern for the environment. Given the fact that he needs his secretary to follow him around and he probably still drives outside of work, it seems that he is more concerned about the looks of envy he receives from horseback riding.

Besides, wouldn’t a bicycle be a cheaper and simpler solution? There are even plenty of electric powered bikes in China.

What the filthy rich in China need to learn is to be not so flamboyant with their wealth.